Dark Tidings
by Heiress Grey
Summary: The Doctor and the Ponds get more than they expected when they land in medieval Camelot and meet King Arthur Pendragon and his wary servant Merlin. Once again Morgana lusts after the throne and in her blind ambition, summons a powerful, evil force beyond her control. The warlock must overcome his distrust of the madman in the blue box before all of Camelot is shrouded in darkness.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Merlin or Doctor Who. That would be the BBC.

This is my first crossover and my first Doctor Who fanfic, so I hope you like it!

* * *

"Doctor, the last time you set the TARDIS to random, we ended up in Cardiff. "

A girl with bright red hair dressed in a fashionable pair of vintage riding boots, skinny jeans, and flowery blouse dashed up the stairs to the TARDIS control panel. A man messing with flashing lights and various levers and knobs readjusted his bow tie.

"Cardiff's not so bad," the Doctor protested as he flipped a rather large panel into what the girl thought was an "on" position.

"Doctor, I'm with Amy this time," said the other man. He absentmindedly fiddled with his jacket's zipper.

"Amy, Rory, I promise. No Cardiff this time," declared the Doctor with a dramatic flair of his hands.

He leaned close to his machine's console.

"Dear, don't let me down this time," he muttered.

The ship flew her familiarly reckless path through the time vortex. Amy and Rory gripped the railing around the console while the Doctor let out a whoop of glee. His sexy thing was bringing them to adventure.

* * *

Birds called out to their future mates in the cool forest air. The trees communicated in their own way as the wind rushed past them. They rustled in a cadence echoed in the birdsong. There was an ambience about the place that some would call peaceful. The man traveling through the woods knew the peace that they exuded came from the magic that pulsed in them like a heartbeat. He let his own magic subtly melt into the ground, feeling its rhythm throb in his soul. As the birds cried ever more joyously, the untamed magic seemed to embrace him as a fellow wild creature.

"Merlin, fetch that bolt," called a slightly arrogant voice, reverberating through the shady woods. The usually garrulous warlock was silent as he went to obey the king, suddenly drawn out of his reverie. As he handed it back, Arthur noticed his eyes were somewhat vacant, as if the man were pondering the deepest secrets of the universe. He was, of course, but Arthur didn't have to know that.

"Someone's not all here today. Of course, you're never all here, but you seem especially out of it today, Merlin."  
The king eyed his servant roguishly.

Merlin glanced up, momentarily broken from his trance.

"Hmm?"

"Seriously, Merlin. I swear you're mentally defective."

The wizard cracked a smile.

"You're one to talk, cabbage brain."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Is that any way to address your king?"

"Prat," Merlin muttered, but his smile grew bigger.

Arthur's lip twitched as he tried to suppress his burgeoning smile by feigning horror. A bush rustled in the distance and a rabbit dashed madly away. A sharp squeal echoed through the woods as Arthur hit the unseen animal with an expertly timed shot. Merlin hurried ahead after it while Arthur lagged behind, casually adjusting his horse's saddle where the animal was tied to a low hanging branch alongside Merlin's old nag.  
As Merlin rooted around in a rather thorny bush where he thought the rabbit had crawled, somewhere in his gut his magic warned him of… something.

Something ancient and powerful was coming to Camelot. Something so big it terrified even the young Emrys.

* * *

The TARDIS landed with a satisfying thump. The Doctor's brow crinkled into a smile as he examined the monitor and strode to the spaceship's door, Ponds straggling behind him. The couple was convinced they had landed in Cardiff again - Boy, were they sick and tired of Cardiff!

Oblivious to his companions, the Time Lord cracked open the police box's door and slipped through.

"Just going to check the terrain out, Ponds."

As he turned to close the door behind him, the Doctor knew he was on Earth, but somehow, not on Earth. The air felt richer, and the forest around him hummed with life.

The Doctor felt a pair of eyes on him. A young man crouched stiffly behind a bush a few meters beyond the TARDIS. Leather jacket, blue neckerchief, belted tunic. Medieval period? Definitely. He almost walked toward him but instead nearly stepped on a rabbit bleeding to death at the door.

"Ponds, we aren't in Cardiff again!"

* * *

The blue box flashed brightly with a whirling noise that made Merlin's ears ring. He knew Arthur could hear it too. He silently begged for it to stop.

He found he couldn't more for fear of what would come out of the box. He had no idea what a "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" was, either.

Merlin nearly leapt out of his pants when a strangely dressed man twirled out of the box, nearly treading on Arthur's rabbit. Despite his goofy appearance, Merlin could taste raw power as the Doctor glanced in his direction; then, the man half-skipped back into the box shouting excitedly and the sense of power faded. Was he just paranoid?

Merlin pulled himself to his feet as another man and a woman emerged from the box. The second man was being dragged by the woman who seemed to be every bit as excited as the first strange man.

Only the hesitant man seemed to notice Merlin.

"Amy, Doctor," he half-shouted at the two daydreamers observing the dead rabbit, pointing to the warlock. Merlin tried to stand tall like Gaius always told him to, but he felt scrawnier than ever. As the strange man fixed his eyes upon Merlin, he realized that this was the danger come to Camelot. His youthful appearance did not prepare Merlin for the ancient eyes studying him. Eyes that spoke of overwhelming power, experience, and intelligence. Terrible eyes that watched worlds burn.

* * *

The Doctor had hardly paid the boy a thought despite his initial assessment. Only when Rory pointed him out did the Doctor make the connection. That richness that made these woods so wonderfully strange wasn't native to the soil. It came like waves from the trembling young man. A golden glow lurked behind the bright blue eyes that fixed themselves on the Doctor with purpose.

"I don't know who you are or what you want in Camelot, but this land is protected," he uttered. The Doctor's hearts jumped. That solidly determined, secret-bearing, self-sacrificing soul reminded him of a few of his prouder moments, of stoically delivered ultimatums to the Atraxi and the Sycarox.

"Are you its protector?"

The man nodded.

"Magic is banned in Camelot. You will be killed if you are caught," the man warned, pointing at the TARDIS as he slung the dead rabbit over his shoulder.

Amy looked at the Doctor expectantly, and he nodded for her to race inside, turning the ship invisible.

"She's not magic, but I don't suppose that makes a difference in this time," the Doctor confided.

The boy's eyebrow rose. Obviously, he still did not trust the madman one bit.

"What would you call that, then?"

"Science," grinned the Doctor.

"Merlin, who ARE you talking to? And what the hell was that noise?"

* * *

Merlin froze as Arthur rode his horse up behind him, dragging Merlin's steed by the reins. He was going to be in trouble AGAIN. The uninformed strangers were bound to say something incriminating that would get him into trouble. It was really too regular a pattern for his own good.

"Who are you?" demanded the king. The strange one had the courtesy to bow.

"Lord Doctor of TARDIS," he smiled with a bit of an impish gleam in his eternal eyes.

He gestured to his companions.

"Lady Amelia of the Pond, and Sir Williams, the Last Centurion of Rome."

The pair giggled at the names like they were some form of an inside joke. The lord flashed a blank sheet of paper at Arthur, who seemed to think it was a set of royal seals. The king bowed politely.

"I am King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, and this is my manservant Merlin."

He elbowed said servant rather roughly. Neither of them noticed the way the Doctor's eyes twinkled a little more, or how Amy and Rory shared a split-second look. Merlin bowed curtly, then massaged his now bruised arm. Arthur gestured in the direction of the road and citadel, stepping toward the strangers.

"Well then, Lord Doctor, come with us to Camelot."

He turned to Merlin, who was still very confused by the exchange.

"Merlin, give your horse to the lady."

Merlin would have nearly protested were it not for the wicked gleam in Arthur's eye daring him to defy the order. He sullenly passed the reins to the "lady" who was helped on by the centurion. The men walked on either side of her as Arthur led them out of the forest toward Camelot, pacing his horse so that Merlin could still walk quickly beside him.

"Sire, don't you think they're a little odd? Walking through the woods with no horses and coming from a place that I've never even heard of!"

"That's why they're coming with us, Merlin. We can test their legitimacy once we arrive in Camelot, although those seals looked real. Until then, they will be our honored guests."

With a half-raised brow, Arthur challenged Merlin to disagree.

Right," nodded Merlin, falling silent trying to keep up with Arthur's horse.

* * *

"So, Doctor. Merlin, eh," Amy murmured down to the man near hopping with manic energy by her side.

"Is he the Merlin?"

The two turned to Rory, the Doctor peering over the horse.

"And King Arthur," he confirmed. "This must be before the days of his united land," he mused in a singsong voice.

"So the myths are true, then?" prompted Amy, in the same low whisper.

"So it would seem. I didn't remember them actually happening, though. Must have to do with when we reset the universe. It must have been rewritten as reality," said the Doctor. He made a face.

"Well, with a few tweaks."

"Isn't Merlin supposed to be a really old wizard, not a young servant?"

"That being one of them. I believe reality has decided he is actually some sort of telepath, what kind particularly I haven't quite worked out. Now, Ponds, remember. You can't let anyone know of the future. These people take prophecies even more seriously than the Romans."

"Doctor, you know our lips are sealed," the redhead said, rolling her eyes. The Doctor patted her knee.

"That's my girl."

Rory nodded in agreement.

"And of course I can count on the loyal centurion," he waved to him, and the man blushed at the nickname, trying not to stumble into his memories as living plastic.

They rounded the bend.

A majestic, ancient castle towered over the land with a crimson flag waving proudly from the highest battlements.

"Welcome to Camelot, Ponds."

* * *

"Lord Doctor," called the king. He stopped and waited for the man and his companions to catch up. As Amy came close, Arthur dismounted, and the woman followed suit, helped down by Rory.

"I assume you will be staying in Camelot for while?"

The Doctor glanced at his companions briefly, neither giving a particular preference for staying or leaving. This trip was promised to be a short one, but the Doctor's sixth sense, his sense of the inner workings of the fabric of time and space, told him that this was going to take longer than he had prepared for. He hoped Amy could forgive him again.

"I should think so. Always wanted to see a proper castle," the man grinned.

The pair looked at him curiously.

"Do you have some sort of tavern or inn of some kind that we could crash at?" asked the Doctor, gesturing wildly, meriting a questioning look from Arthur.

"Well, yes. But you are royal guests of Camelot. I insist you stay at the castle. We have plenty of guest rooms for you."

"No, no, it's fine," assured the Doctor.

"Doctor, no money, remember?" whispered Rory, ever the voice of reason.

"But if it isn't too much of an inconvenience, we would be honored."

"Not at all," bowed the king, once again elbowing Merlin roughly. The man nodded and took the horses away, leaving Arthur unprotected with the strangers. He prayed they meant him no harm.

"So I assume you'll want a room together?" Arthur said, pointing to Amy. The Doctor looked slightly bewildered when he realized Arthur meant him and Amy together, but was saved by Rory from having to give an embarrassing explanation.

In a harsh tone incongruous with his normal joviality, the nurse spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but Amy is my wife."

Arthur was taken aback by his fierce reaction, babbling a bit like Merlin in reply.

"My apologies, I should not have assumed. Please forgive me," he asked, knowing other knights would be greatly offended by such a slight.

To his surprise, the man merely nodded.

"Don't worry about it, sire," the man half mumbled, his sudden anger flickering out like a candle. Amy rolled her eyes at him.

"Stupid face," she purred, and he grinned at her like an inebriate.

"Don't know why I didn't see sooner," Arthur muttered to himself. He was surprised when the Doctor made a face at him in reply.

"It gets worse. Sometimes he gets all weepy, too," confided the Doctor with a shudder. Arthur smiled slightly; he couldn't help feeling that he could trust the man despite his eccentricities.

"Well, if you'll just follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

* * *

So that's the first chapter! I hope you liked it!  
It's actually been quite a while since I wrote this (about three weeks) so I don't exactly remember most of it (I've slept since then),  
but if you have any questions, suggestions, exclamations, error pointing out things, etc. feel free to ask.  
Also, I like to write notes to my betas, so they might accidentally still be in there. Think I took 'em out though.


	2. Curiousity

Merlin rolled the base of a goblet around in the palm of his hand as Arthur changed into his nightshirt behind a screen.

Lost in thought, he couldn't stop himself from wondering about Camelot's most recent guests. He was particularly shaken by what Gaius had told him earlier. The elderly physician had shaken his head, looking very worried indeed.

_"I've never heard of this man or his companions either, much less the lands they claim to be from. Merlin, you must watch out for them. They could be a very serious threat."_

"Merlin, what do you think of this Doctor?" asked the king, his voice vibrating around the chambers.

Merlin hesitated.

"He's… strange for certain," he decided, with a little shake of the head.

"Do you two get along well, then?"

"Augh, shuttup."

Merlin pulled the drapes shut while Arthur crawled into bed.

"Goodnight, Merlin. Get some rest, will you?"

Merlin looked at him funny.

"Don't want you falling asleep again tomorrow like you were dozing off today," he amended.

"Goodnight, Arthur," smiled Merlin, pulling the door shut behind him.

* * *

Amy bounced on the bed. She was wearing a long green silky dress a maid brought her, and she absentmindedly played with a loose thread on the end of the sleeve. Her husband and alien best friend sat in chairs facing her in the couple's temporary bedroom, and were now clothed similarly, the Doctor temporarily adopting a sort of scarf instead of his usual bowtie.

"I wear neckerchiefs now," he had said with a grin. "Neckerchiefs are cool."

"So how long will we be staying, Doctor? You promised us that time-locked event in the Horse-head Galaxy, remember?"

"It wasn't going to be that fantastic. It was only a few thousand super-giants exploding into supernovas at the same time."

Amy and Rory stared at him like he was speaking old Gallifreyan.

"What? This," he said, waving his hands around at the castle,"is so much more exciting."

He began to pace.

"Doctor, is there something you're not telling us?"

Amy's voiced warned the Doctor not to lie again. But he did anyway.

"The TARDIS is recalibrating herself. The jump to this time that had never existed before made her all wibbley wobbly. Her anachronostastic system needs real time to sync with the Time Vortex in the internal matrix."

Both humans momentarily zoned out in passive acceptance, and the Doctor smiled crookedly. On the inside, he hated himself for lying to them, but his curiosity was driving him madder than usual. He needed to know why his machine brought him here.

"It will be brilliant here. Believe me!" he reassured the couple. "Goodnight, Ponds," said the Doctor with a bow-legged bow. Rory bowed similarly and Amy curtsied before bursting into fit of giggles.

"Goodnight, Doctor," gasped Amy. She grasped his shoulder and leaned close to his ear. "I'll not let you forget about this," she murmured meaningfully, the unspoken "I'll get the full story later, understand?" tone clear in her voice. The Doctor smiled sadly in return. As the Doctor closed the door, Rory unexpectedly pulled Amy into a lingering kiss.

The Doctor smiled happily (for once) as he walked toward his chambers. Amy and Rory really were the best kind of people.

He was surprised out of his thoughts by Merlin, who had accidentally walked right into his back. The boy's eyes widened a fraction, but he dusted himself off, muttering an apology. The Doctor was surprised to see him hurry away. He was going somewhere, and the Doctor once again couldn't help feeling that he was hiding something huge, besides the whole telepath thing. Well, if he even knew about it, which the Doctor suspected he did from the whole "protector" deal. But he still hid something else, and curiosity was eating up at the Gallifreyan again. He turned back around and peeked in Rory and Amy's bedroom.

"Ah!" he said awkwardly.

The two were a little too close, and looked at him sheepishly. Rory actually looked rather peeved their moment was interrupted.

"What is it, Doctor?" his ginger wife huffed.

"Fancy a little late night adventure?"

* * *

Merlin didn't intend on getting sleep like Arthur had so prattishly suggested. He was determined to figure out the Doctor's motives. Did he mean Camelot harm? If he were a sorcerer (Merlin seriously doubted he was not), how had he done the thing with the box? Could it actually be science like the man claimed? Who was he, really?

Caught up in his thoughts, Merlin failed to notice the slow walker in the middle of the hall until he crashed into his back. He landed on his rear, and the man stumbled forward. Merlin began to apologize profusely for being such an idiot when the man picked himself up and turned around on the spot. It was the Doctor. Merlin had failed to recognize him from behind in different clothes, but a slight shiver went up his spine when in politeness he took the man's offered hand. Images of burning cities and bizarre landscapes exploded across the back of his eyelids as his skin came in contact with the Doctor's. It was all he could do to keep himself from running away. Instead he muttered an apology and hurried away, more determined than ever to ask someone far more wise and experienced than himself about the enigma that was the Doctor.

* * *

"So where are we going, exactly?" asked Amy, with her husband striding beside her.

"Following Merlin. He's hiding something. For a psychic, he's not very good at hiding things," the alien said.

They followed the boy in the dark out of the castle and down into the castle courtyard. There they were almost seen, but luckily, he barely missed seeing them. He carried on past a tavern where men laughed raucously. Amy rubbed her head. In all honesty, this was one mystery that didn't bug her. She just wanted to get somewhere with running water and real toilets, for goodness sake! Her head throbbed. A drink sounded really good right now. She didn't normally drink, but she was willing to forget that for one night.

"Doctor, go on. I think I'm going to get a drink."

"Are you sure Amy? You alright?"

"I'm fine, Doctor. I just need a drink. You go on and investigate."

She gestured to her husband with her bent elbow.

"Actually, Amy, I really wanted to see this too. If we need to be here, we might as well investigate," Rory said. His interest really was piped by Merlin's suspicious behavior. "Come on, Amy," he said.

Amy narrowed her eyes.

"I'm getting my drink whether you're coming or not."

He rolled his eyes. There was no point in arguing with her.

"Fine. Be careful, Amy."

"Yeah, yeah, stupid, I'll be fine," she said, her voice almost cracking. She strutted into the bar.

"Better catch up with Merlin, now, Rory."

The centurion had a little difficulty drawing his eyes away from the bar into which his wife had walked. He followed the Doctor down the cobblestone streets where perhaps their curiosities could finally be satisfied.

* * *

"So… can you bring Camelot to its knees?" a velvety female voice cooed. A witch's beautiful green eyes gleamed with hatred, her once silky black hair matted by her harsh lifestyle.

A shadow breathed silently in the darkness. Its beetle-black eyes glittered with malice.

"The land will be begging for its end."

The demon's soft voice was like a child's. Perhaps it was stolen from some poor soul in order to belie the evil that lurked in its heart. It possessed evil magic far darker than that of the witch who had summoned him or even the witch's half sister, Morgause. Only Morgana could control it and the power was intoxicating. She giggled.

She could feel herself sitting on her rightful throne in Camelot already. Still, she wondered if Emrys-she shuddered at the mere thought of the name-could prevent her demon from taking Camelot and she wondered if the beast even stood a chance. Her plans had never worked before.

"Something else, my lady?" simpered the demon in a knowing tone.

"What about the sorcerer Emrys? Can you destroy him?" she asked.

"With ease… and pleasure. Your delights are my delights, my lady," it grinned with wicked teeth made for tearing flesh from the bone.

"Go. Do not fail me like all the others," commanded the witch. The demon melted away into shadows.

Morgana savored thoughts of a world free from fear where Emrys was finally dead and she sat firmly on the throne. Revenge will be sweet.

* * *

The great dragon heaved his mighty wings into a gentle landing before the Dragonlord.

"For what reason did you call me, young warlock?" the dragon boomed. Aithusa tumbled from his back, apparently summoned by the dragon-call. Merlin reached over to him and the white beast scuttled up his arm, nesting in the crook of his neck. He stroked the infant's muzzle.

"There is a man in Camelot who is not who he says he is. Well, he has two friends, but they don't act in the way he does. I thought he was a magic user, but now I'm not so sure. He appeared out of nowhere in a big blue box, and then turned it invisible. He claims it's science!"

The dragon raised a scaly eyebrow.

"This man… who does he claim to be?"

"He claims to be a lord from a place called TARDIS. Sounds like gibberish to me, and trust me, I know my gibberish! His lady friend called him Doctor, which I thought was another title, but apparently it is his name! Tell me, Kilgarrah, have you ever heard of such a man, magical or otherwise?" Merlin's brow furrowed. The Doctor had to be magical. Science could not possibly create his vehicle, and even if it could, the raw power that radiated from the man was enough to convince Merlin that he was not mundane.

The dragon seemed lost in thought for a moment. Slowly, he began to shake his head.

"I have lived a very long life, and I heard of many strange and terrible and wonderful things. However, I have never heard or such a man, nor have I heard prophecies about any person like him. You are headed into dark territory, young warlock."

Merlin sighed and scratched the white dragon's soft belly before encouraging him to crawl back up to his guardian. The Great Dragon lowered his head.

"I am sorry I cannot aid you, Merlin."

Merlin waited there until the Kilgarrah's great flapping wings had carried him out of sight, unaware of the eyes watching him from the shadow of the castle.

* * *

Even the Doctor had trouble following Merlin as he ducked and slid through the defenses of Camelot. The young man was obviously used to sneaking out, and the Time Lord's feeling that something was off about him grew even stronger. Neither Rory or the Doctor spoke as they trailed Merlin through dark tunnels leading away from the heart of the city. At the end of one such tunnel, when Merlin had turned around a corner and vanished out of sight, they heard a small explosion. The two exchanged a look in the darkness and hurried around the corner to find a grate placed against the wall, leaving an open path into the forest outside Camelot's walls and no Merlin to be seen.

"Come on, Rory! We don't want to lose him!" the Doctor whispered urgently, ducking through the grate. The human followed him hastily.

The alien squinted at the landscape, trying to pick up the path of the unseen man, wringing his hands and fumbling with his hair.

"No, no, no! We can't lose him now!" the Doctor cried as he glanced around, the way growing more and more unclear.

"This way!" Rory called as he picked up the trail. The two stalked quickly and quietly through the tangled undergrowth and low branched trees after their quarry, who was still unaware he was being followed. They finally spotted him on a hill of raised tree roots, climbing up and out of sight.

The pair waited a moment before following him up and peeking over the ledge. A vast field uninterrupted by trees lay just beyond it, and the young man stood in the middle of it, waiting in the full moonlight.

"What's he doing?" Rory whispered to the Doctor.

"Wait," he said, gazing intensely out to the boy.

Rory stiffened as Merlin began to cry animalistically to the skies. His voice was rough and deep and unhuman.

"Dragon, I summon you. I must speak with you, my brother," he intoned, his face twisted in the deep syllables.

"The Tardis is translating," the Doctor muttered to Rory. "He's not speaking English."

"He's summoning a dragon?" Rory whispered incredulously. "Are dragons even real?"

The Doctor remained tight lipped, watching the boy as he stood in silence once again. Rory readjusted his stance to get a better look.

A faint flapping of wings could be heard in the distance, a great noise that grew louder. The Doctor couldn't believe his luck when a dragon-an actual dragon!-thudded to the ground in front of Merlin with a shake of scales. The young man stood tall in front of the great beast when it opened its maw.

"For what reason did you call me, young warlock?" it said, its vast voice echoing through the meadow and into the forest. A much smaller dragon, probably the size of a cat, judged Rory, glided down to Merlin and nestled itself around his neck.

They watched the dragon and his master speak. About them, no less! The Doctor was not exactly surprised that Merlin saw him as a threat, but he was shocked at the pure power the young man (no, warlock) seemed to possess. All of that power in one person... Perhaps he really was as powerful as the Merlin from the legends. But he couldn't be... Those were myths, stories. Humans didn't have it in their genetic structure to possess real magic, the science that only a few races in the entire universe could master.

But the universe had been rewritten...

"I think I may have made a little mistake, Rory."

* * *

So there's chapter 2! I hope you liked it. Please review, whether it's a suggestion, you see a grammatical, plot-related, etc mistake, or whatever, I want to hear from you! :)


End file.
